In the #1 Bestselling SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS: THE 120 STORY BEATS EVERY WRITER NEEDS TO KNOW, author and screenwriter, Todd Klick, explores the universal minute-by-minute beats that unite all great stories.

Monday, January 9, 2012

HARRY POTTER Follows the 120 Universal Beats!

A minute-by-minute analysis of HARRY POTTER and the Sorcerer’s Stone:

MINUTE 1: AT-TENSION!
An old wizard walks alone on a spooky night and steals lantern light MINUTE 2: THE BUILD
Dumbledore says “the bad” rumours are true MINUTE 3: THE RATCHET
The baby will be left with “the the worst sort of muggles imaginable”MINUTE 4: ANOTHER NOTCH
Harry’s mean aunt screams at him MINUTE 5: JAW DROPPER
The relatives' outrageous behavior towards Harry is jaw-droppingly rude (Professor McGonagall was right!)MINUTE 6: FRIEND OR FIST
Harry’s uncle scolds him (FIST)MINUTE 7: FRIEND OR FIST 2
Harry talks with a snake (FRIEND)MINUTE 8: SOMETHING STARTLING HAPPENS
The escaping snake talks to Harry then makes all the children scream!MINUTE 9: THE PURSUIT
Harry tries to retrieve the letter that his cousin stole from himMINUTE 10: THE DISCUSSION
Harry’s aunt and uncle chat outside the houseMINUTE 11: THE WARNING
Hundreds of owls land outside Harry’s relative’s house—a warning that they better let Harry open the lettersMINUTE 12: HARSHER WARNING
Hundreds and hundreds of letters pour into the house—a harsher warning that they better let Harry open his letters MINUTE 13: THE SUBMISSION
The family submits and moves to a secluded islandMINUTE 14: DANGER WATCH
Harry’s uncle points his shotgun at HagridMINUTE 15: WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE!
Hagrid pulls something out of his coat, but it’s only an unbrella (whew!) MINUTE 16: THE BIG CONCERN
Uncle Vernon is concerned that Hagrid wants to take Harry to the school of wizardryMINUTE 17: WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
Harry learns that his parents didn’t, in fact, die in a car crashMINUTE 18: TROUBLE TURN
Hagrid puts a piggy tail on Harry’s cousinMINUTE 19: THE THREAT
Harry enters a threatening looking barMINUTE 20: PUSH BACK
Harry wants Hagrid to tell him why he’s famousMINUTE 21: THE GREAT AFFECT
Hagrid taps the wall and the bricks reconfigure themselves to show Harry Diagon Alley!MINUTE 22: TRUTH DECLARED
A boy declares that the Nimbus 2000 "is the fastest model yet!”MINUTE 23: SCARY STUFF
The ugly looking goblin gives Harry a scary lookMINUTE 24: SCARY STUFF 2
The goblin takes Harry into the bowels of a scary cavernMINUTE 25: SCARY STUFF 3
Harry stares at an ominous looking lone packageMINUTE 26: THE BIG UNEXPECTED
Harry waves his new wand and the files fly out!MINUTE 27: THE MINI-QUEST
Mr. Ollivander tries to find the correct wand for HarryMINUTE 28: BIG QUEST PREP
Mr. Ollivander preps Harry for his life as a wizardMINUTE 29: BIG QUEST PREP 2
Hagrid preps Harry about VoldemortMINUTE 30: THE NEED
Harry needs to know what Voldemort didMINUTE 31: DISTRESS SIGNAL
Evil Voldemort is still out thereMINUTE 32: ANXIETY AMP
Harry realizes Hagrid’s no longer there to help himMINUTE 33: OMINOUS OH NO!
Harry realizes that he has to somehow run through a solid wall (oh no!)MINUTE 34: FRIEND AFFECT
Harry makes friends with RonMINUTE 35: BAIT & SWITCH
Ron thinks he’s sitting with a regular boy (BAIT), but discovers it’s the famous Harry Potter (SWITCH)MINUTE 36: HIDE & SEEK
Harry wonders where the picture of Dumbledore wentMINUTE 37: OVER HIS HEAD
Ron can’t make his magic spell work—he’s over his headMINUTE 38: POSITIVE RECONNECT
Harry reconnects with his friend HagridMINUTE 39: NEW JOURNEY BOND
Boats take the bonding children towards the schoolMINUTE 40: ALLY’S WORLD
We see that Professor McGonagall has authority at the schoolMINUTE 41: THORNY ROSE
Harry likes the school (ROSE), but dislikes unsavory students like Malfoy (THORN)MINUTE 42: SURPRISE REVEAL
Opening doors reveal a surprisingly huge hall filled with young wizards and floating candles! MINUTE 43: SURPRISE REVEAL 2
Dumbledore reveals that the 3rd floor will cause “a most painful death”MINUTE 44: NEW NEWS
Harry feels pain in his scar when Snape looks at himMINUTE 45: OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Loner Harry stands in front of the entire student bodyMINUTE 46: THE REVELATION
Harry sees that Dumbledore approves of him going to GryffindorMINUTE 47: THE ESCORT
Percy gives Harry information about Snape (Harry’s escort towards useful information)MINUTE 48: NEEDED KNOWLEDGE
Harry is told about the stairs, which change directionMINUTE 49: FOREBODING FACT
The scary pictures moveMINUTE 50: THE PORTENT
Harry sits by himself, still the outsiderMINUTE 51: THE ENGAGE
Professor McGonagall scolds Harry and Ron for being lateMINUTE 52: SAY UNCLE
Students listen quietly to intimidating Snape MINUTE 53: THE INTIMIDATION
Snape intimidates Harry with questions he doesn’t know the answers to MINUTE 54: THE LIGHTBULB
Harry and Ron realize that the “mail’s here” MINUTE 55: SIDESWIPE
Harry learns that someone broke into Gringotts MINUTE 56: DARK TWIST CHAT
Ron says “up” but the broom whacks him in the face MINUTE 57: DIFFICULT WORDS
The teacher says to the wounded student, “Oh dear, it’s a broken wrist” MINUTE 58: VITAL EVENT
Harry and Malfoy duel on their brooms MINUTE 59: THE DECEPTION
Malfoy spins and keeps the object from Harry MINUTE 60: THE SHOCKER
Harry learns that he’s the new “Seeker”!

About Me

Writer and producer, Todd Klick, is the #1 bestselling author of Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs to Know and The Screenwriter's Fairy Tale. Todd's stories earned accolades with the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship and the PAGE International screenwriting competitions. In addition to optioning 5 scripts, he recently sold a full-length screenplay and inked two deals to develop stories for the London and Broadway stages with music mogul, Guy Holmes (Cirque Du Soleil/Beatles' LOVE) and Motown songwriting legend Lamont Dozier, as well as Maurice White's Kalimba Productions (founder of Earth, Wind and Fire). Todd is a frequent speaker and guest panelist at screenwriting symposiums, contributor to The Huffington Post and MovieMaker Magazine, and has also appeared on Dateline NBC and NPR to promote his work. www.toddklick.com